Interests: organization, words and images and combining the two (such as picturebooks and graphic novels), sociology of family and religion, the artS, learning, child development, the mind, health, libraries, autumn

Current Professional Interests: Early Readers, Early Nonfiction, Services to Tweens

Employment: I have been a full-time children's librarian with the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County [www.libraryvisit.org] since November 2007, and I believe that what I do makes a difference in my community.

I serve all patrons in the library through Reader's Advisory; I help them find materials for education and entertainment, and, when appropriate, help them develop information literacy skills.

I provide developmentally appropriate, fun, and educational programming for babies through sixth graders as well as develop displays to attract this demographic. As I serve this age group, I am also working to educate caregivers on pre-literacy skills and baby brain development as well as maintain a balanced and current children's collection that matches the needs of my community.